Z17 Coalescer Media

Customers familiar with our old F15DF design had a filter bag inside the center of the muscle. That option still exists, but we moved the bag from the inside to the outside. You can now mount a 10” filter housing off the top of the barrel, and insert whatever filter medium you think would work best. We offer a 100µ as a standard size, but what works best for you is something only you can know.

Please recognize that if your sump contains any kind of grease or heavy biofilm formation, this option is not for you. Also realize that going to a very small micron rating will probably mean frequent filter changeouts, because these small pore filters will clog very quickly on not just particles, but oil as well.

If your T strainer is getting clogged too frequently (and that frequency is totally up to you) then you should look into the following possibilies.

First, make sure that what is clogging your T strainer is particles. If it turns out that your strainer is getting clogged with grease or a biofilm, then there are other issues to deal with. Call us or read on for how to deal with grease or biofilm.

Second, think about what kind of particles are getting collected in the strainer, and how important it is for you to remove them from your coolant. If it turns out that there aren’t that many, and removing them from your coolant is a good thing but not critical, then we can look at putting an optional extended filter on the F16. If your chip load is heavy, and chip removal is critical to your operation, you should look into a dedicated chip removal system whose sole function would be to clean up chips.

No one knows. It all depends on your chip configuration, material, size, sump dynamics, and other factors. We can’t predict how quickly your strainer may become full of chips. In some cases, the strainer may not collect any chips at all.

When the strainer does become full of chips, you will notice a decrease in the performance of the F16. You may even notice that the eductor no longer works. In this case, clean the strainer by shutting off the unit. Then turn the strainer upside down to drain the coolant from it. When the coolant has drained out, then turn the strainer upright again and unscrew the bowl. Empty out the chips while holding onto the chip screen – you don’t want to lose that. Replace the chip screen, and re-screw the bowl in place – gently! It should not be screwed in too hard.

The filter in the standard T-strainer is designed to catch chips that might clog the eductor. It also helps to keep those chips from settling in the bottom of your Z17 muscle coalescer. It’s much easier to open the T-strainer and dump those chips into your chip bin, instead of shutting down the entire muscle coalescer, emptying it, and shoveling out chips that have settled in the bottom.

The individual selection of a Muscle Coalescer depends upon application factors such as:

• Chip removal requirements (removal of suspended and floating chips or swarf) Metal chips chemically degrade coolant, so they are best removed, whenever possible. The smaller the chip size, the quicker this degradation takes place, so in grinding or cast iron machining, chip removal is definitely recommended. Choose the Deluxe w/Filter model whenever chip removal is of interest. Select the filter bag with a pore size relative to that of the chip size.
• Type of coolant (full-synthetic, semi-synthetic or water-soluble oil) For full synthetics, the Plus model is recommended. For semi-synthetics and water soluble oils, the Deluxe model is best due to the additional coalescing media which helps separate the tramp oil from the base oil.
• Intake attachment selection will be based upon sump factors such as access to the area where installed, fluid level fluctuations, and surface debris.

A dedicated Muscle is best for each sump that sits idle more than one shift. Idle sumps biologically degrade more quickly than those that circulate. The Z17 Muscle Coalescer will remove the tramp oils and also continuously aerate and circulate the sump, preventing bacterial rancidity.

It is a matter of what best “fits” your application as well as your equipment preference. There are cost implications between the 2 products so that should also be taken into consideration.

A mechanical skimmer will remove the tramp oil layer via a pickup mechanism, such as a disk, belt, or tube. The tramp oil is then discharged automatically to a waste container, which will need to be manually emptied as needed. Since tramp oils are best removed daily, as they are a food source for bacteria, it is recommended to have a skimmer installed on each machine sump to run as needed.

A coalescer draws in the entire surface layer of your sump, then gravity separates the oil within its holding tank for manual discharge to a waste container. Again, oil removal should be done daily, so dedicate a coalescer (such as a (Z17 Muscle™ Coalescer) on each sump to run continuously, or daily utilize a portable coalescer unit on each sump.

Yes. Our media can be added to any coalescing equipment and will improve their effectiveness. It increases the surface area in the holding tank to improve the separation time. It is a non consumable, and will never need replaced.

We supply the Z17 Muscle™ Coalescer with a small submersible, centrifugal pump so it can fit into most machine sumps. It is pretty rugged for most applications, however, it is not designed to handle a lot of air intake. If reintroducing this pump to every machine every day, it may cavitate and burn out prematurely unless you keep it primed with fluid. It may also be time-consuming to reinstall the pump and intake attachment at each use point. So, labor costs are also a factor.

Although the unit is available with a drum dolly, this dolly is only meant for ease of maneuverability when moving around your machine, such as during machine cleaning and recharge.

A mechanical skimmer only removes the tramp oil and needs regular maintenance to keep the chips and other debris that are collected off of the pickup mechanism and the oil scrapers.

The Z17 Muscle™ Coalescer will remove the oil layer AND keep the coolant sump in constant circulation, helping to prevent bacterial contamination which degrades coolant. If the machine tool runs less than 2 full shifts per day, a Muscle Coalescer will help to keep that sump in its best overall condition, preventing bacterial problems and coolant degradation. Little to no maintenance is required, as cleaning of the coalescer only needs to be done if their is a buildup of chips and debris within it, or if it is biologically contaminated. Zebra manufactures models with variou attachment which have chip collection capabilities to remove chips which also help to degrade coolant.

If using a coalescer is impractical or impossible near that machine, use a mechanical skimmer to remove the tramp oil and run an aeration device, such as the Zebra Oxygenator™, whenever the pump does not run to help keep bacteria at bay.

Actually, there is very little. If you have particle filtration equipment, chances are you wanted to remove particles from your coolant! This is recommended because metals degrade coolant. And the smaller the particles are, the quicker they chemically interact with the coolant, causing coolant to break down on a chemical level and eventually be useless for lubrication.

You will need to change out the filter, whether it be a bag filter (as in this case) or cartridge filter depending upon how many particles your operation creates during the machining or grinding process.

Just like an oil filter in your car, or a vacuum at home, the filtering apparatus will need changing once it has filled to capacity. If it is not filled completely, but requires too much pressure to pass liquid through it, then a bigger pore size will help. If you are trying to capture chips of 25 micron (.001″), you may want to step up to a 50 micron bag, and as chips fill it, the pore size will decrease gradually. Eventually, you will capture the smaller chips.